Well, I called "Brian" at Rt. 66 today at lunch time. Of course, "Brian" speaks English, but heavily accented, as with all Rt. 66 call center drones.
Here's how it went:
Brian: You owe for this loan, and you state in your e-mail that you paid over $300, but I don't see that. You have paid $177 on this loan, which was all extension fees, you have paid nothing on the principal balance of $200, all our recent attempts to debit your bank account have been returned unpaid, and now the account is closed, so our company has paid all these ACH fees.
me: I would like a written validation of my debt, please.
brian: validation?? what do you mean?
me: I want a written account of my balance due, including what I have paid, and your fees, so that I can see exactly what I owe. I would like that e-mailed to me.
brian: I will send that to you only if you make a payment agreement right now.
me: so you're saying I can't get a written list of what I owe?
brian: no - I cannot send you that unless you make a payment arrangment right now.
me: so what do I owe?
brian: if you pay the principal balance of $200, we will close this account.
me: but you said I have already paid $177, so I should be entitled to pay the balance between $200 and $177 and be done with this.
brian: no. no. that's not how this works. what about all the ACH fees the company has paid. we are not making any profit on your account at all by accepting the principal and not charging you for the ACH fees we paid.
me: so you're telling me I cannot get a written validation of what I owe?
brian: that's correct. you will not get that. not until you make a payment arrangment.
me: I see.
brian: so you want to make a payment arrangment?
me: no, I want that written validation of my debt to your company so that I can make an informed decision on what I owe.
brian: you will not get that.
me: not from anyone at your company?
brian: no. not until you make a payment arrangement. we made many arrangements with you, and never received any money, and we still paid the ACH fees. Your bank statement will tell you how much you owe.
me: uh, no it won't. My bank statement will tell me how much I've paid - not how much I owe. That's why I need the statement from you, which you're refusing to give me, right?
Brian: right.
me: all right, let me consider all this. In the meantime, I want the calls to my workplace to stop. I want your company to stop calling me at work. You have my home number, you can call me there.
brian: I can't stop that.
me: oh yes you can. according to state law, when I inform you that I do not want you to call me at work, you have to stop.
brian: what about the law that says you take out a $200 loan and don't repay it? don't you have to abide by a law that says you have to pay your bills? what about all the ACH fees the company has paid? If you pay the $200 principal, we will close this account.
me: well, I will have to take all this into consideration, I will call you back.
brian: ok, thank you.
During all this, I have to say, Brian was very polite and never became angry or abusive, as I've seen others describe on here as regards calls from this company.
So should I cut my losses here, pay what they're asking for, and be done with it? I thought I had paid them more than the original loan principal already - they say I haven't, so I need to go back over my bank statements and see if that's the case or not. If, in fact, I have only paid them the $177 they claim, am I within my rights to demand that they mark me paid in full if I pay them $23, which is the difference between the loan principal and what they say I've paid?
My basis for all this is that PDL extensions or rollovers are illegal in MI, unless no fee is charged. They did do extensions, for a $59 fee. I am not disputing the fact that I owe a debt - I am just furious over the way these companies operate and seem to keep popping up all over the place - they're breeding like rabbits, it seems.
So, opinions anyone? I'm thinking of going to my AG to file a complaint and giving them the whole situation, before I send a dime to these people. I feel that the fact that they kept trying to debit my account month after month, and, by "Brian's" own admission, they kept trying after it was closed - is an admission of guilt on their part. I gave them permission for only a couple of those debits - so who gave them permission to keep trying, even after the account was closed? So whose fault is it that they racked up these so-called "ACH Fees"? Again - I am not trying to escape my debt - I only want it to be fairly executed. And I feel that by refusing to provide me a written verification of my debt, and by refusing to stop calling me at work when I requested them to stop, and by extending a PDL and charging a fee to do so, and executing a "contract" over the phone, nothing in writing, they are in violation of so many laws, it's pathetic.
Sorry for rambling - opinions needed on my next move, please.